All about Technology: IFA 2014: The Sony SmartWatch 3 is here, and this time it's got Android Wear and GPS

Wednesday 3 September 2014

IFA 2014: The Sony SmartWatch 3 is here, and this time it's got Android Wear and GPS

As expected, IFA 2014 is proving to be all about the wearables, and Sony has just launched two new devices in Berlin, kicking off with the SmartWatch 3.

And despite rumours that Sony might be snubbing Android Wear in favour of its own operating system, Google's operating system is present and accounted for.

As for how else it differs from the SmartWatch 2, Sony's latest wrist wrapper has a 1.6-inch 320 x 320 capacitive touch LCD that's designed to be visible in bright sunlight. To give it a more premium look Sony has placed a stainless steel back panel, but the rest of the watch is plastic - and IP68 waterproof too.

4GB of internal memory means you'll have somewhere to store your music, should you decide to head out for a jog sans smartphone. Further, inbuilt GPS makes Sony's new watch a good runners' choice - though we wouldn't say this is a necessary feature.

Finally, standard Micro USB charging is something we can all be thankful for - not a dock or cradle in sight - however Sony says you'll only get up to 2 days of life from typical usage. The Sony SmartWatch 3 will be available for 229.99 Euros when it arrives later this year, with global prices to be announced.

Walkie talkie

But if you don't fancy the whole Smartwatch experience, Sony's also offering up the SmartBand Talk, a wearable that believes Dick Tracey was onto something good.

Band

With a built-in microphone and speaker, paired with an always-on 1.4-inch e-paper display, the SmartBand Talk allows you to chat with callers on the move (or just when your phone is in another room).

But the SmartBand Talk is also designed to be an everyday activity tracker, using its built-in accelerometer to keep tabs on your movement. And yes, like the SmartWatch 3, it's also waterproof with a IP68 rating.

You might think an e-paper screen would give you days and days of power, but Sony tells us to expect three days of battery life with typical usage, and up to just one hour of talk time. The band will cost 159.99 Euros, with global prices also to follow.